Effect of Attachment Behaviors Training on Maternal Competence attainment in Nulliparous Adolescent Women

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Adolescent pregnancy is a public health issue that requires knowledge, motivation, and skills, and the lack of it leads to a deficiency in mother competence. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of attachment behaviors training on maternal role competence in nulliparous adolescent women. METHODS: This clinical trial study, was conducted on 73 nulliparous Adolescent women at 28-32 gestational age attending the Educational centers dependent on Iran University of Medical Sciences. They were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. Three sessions of group training were held for mothers of interventional groups regarding Fetal Attachment Behaviors (Including counting the movements of the fetus and registration it, imagining the appearance of the fetus, talking with the fetus, and etc.). The control group received usual care. The Parenting Sense of Competence Scale questionnaire (score range: 17-102) was completed and assessed before the intervention and 10 days after delivery. FINDINGS: There was no statistically significant difference between the groups before the intervention in terms of the total score of Parenting Sense of Competence. 10 days after delivery, the mean score of maternal competence was 60.86 ±9.75 and 44.44±12.99 which was significantly higher compared to the control group (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that attachment behaviors training is effective in obtaining the competence of adolescent mothers.

Keywords

• training
• maternal-fetal attachment
• competence
• adolescent